PhragX's Awesome Class Guides: Utility-Chasses

I’ve created this thread to begin serious discussion about the Utility Chassis classes: Tech and Shocker. Please discuss any combos, combat strategies, balancing problems, strengths, weakness, bugs, etc. that you know about Tech or Shocker. I will be updating this thread when I have more time, so I hope the community takes it seriously and has something to offer.

7. GENERALOVERVIEW: UTILITY-CHASSIS

Here we have the Tech (old) and Shocker (new). This is the true support group of the game and the 2nd-least durable group. However, their bread-and-butter repair guns can return precious health and shields to their allies during combat while their construction-building skills add extra remote support. These guys are very helpful to any team.

The Tech and Shocker are the most similar of any other chassis pair. They move similarly, their repair guns are similar, they each have a construct they can deploy, they each have proximity mines they can drop. However, there are some key differences discussed below.

Stats:Hit Points: 2600Shield Points: 1500

Pros:
- Can regenerate Hit Points/Shield points for self and allies, almost constantly
- Can build constructs on the ground, wall, or ceiling to help the team. These constructs can be repaired and upgraded.
- F-bombs can be dropped and forgotten (careful aim not needed)
- Your team won’t complain about too many Techs or Shockers

Cons:
- Terrible in any fight, against any class without help from a teammate
- 2nd-least durable class (quite squishy!)
- Slightly poor jetpack abilities

The Tech is the medic of the game. His repair gun can heal up to 3 targets at a time and he has an ability to instantly heal any teammates nearby (including himself). If he chooses to, he can also set up defenses for any spot on the map with his deployable turret (called a Suppressor) and Fragmentation Mines. All of these things make the Tech invaluable to any team.

Skills:

Q – Suppressor Turret: Creates a turret at the targeted location. May be placed on floors, ceilings, walls. Upgrade by getting close to the existing Suppressor Turret and activating the skill again. Each upgrade increases the hit points and damage of the turret and grants it a “suppression” effect (slows victim’s movement). Attempting to place a new turret in a new location while a turret exists will move the existing turret (including upgrades) to that new location. NOTE: Limit of 1 turret per Tech. Maximum 3 levels per turret. Deployment Time: Unconfirmed. Turret Time: Until destroyed. Cooldown (from activation time): 30.5 seconds.

W – Nano Surge: Upon activation, the Tech and nearby allies are healed by a set amount. Cooldown: Unconfirmed.

E – Fragmentation Mine: The Tech tosses a mine to the targeted location. Upon impact, the mine “sticks” and will detonate when enemies approach. Limited to 3 mines per Tech. Tossing additional mines will remove existing mines in the order they were tossed.NOTE: Unconfirmed: The mines will also detonate when the user gets too close, causing damage to the user as well. Mine “Stick” Time: Unconfirmed. Cooldown: Unconfirmed.

Mobility

Overall, the Tech is somewhat mobile, but cannot outrun a gun and cannot heal himself quickly enough to act like a Tank. The Tech should stay in one spot or follow teammates around and he should NEVER be alone.

Additionally, the Tech’s jumping and jetpack are weak. The Utility-chassis has the most difficult time going upwards.

Approaching

1) You should not approach any enemy, ever. The Tech isn’t made for combat, he is a support unit to keep the combatants alive.

2) If you see someone approach you, try to take cover behind your Suppressor and follow the tips in the next section, titled “General Combat Tips.” (most of those tips involve a Suppressor)

3) The Pulser is an amazing gun, allowing you to shoot around corners! Every other gun requires the user to see his target; but not this one! Your best bet with Pulser is NOT to shoot an enemy straight-on: its damage can’t compare to other guns so you’ll die in every standoff. Instead, stand around a corner and spam the bullets into narrow hallways. Enemies who pass through will take damage before they even find you!

4) Feel free to place Fragmentation Mines near health or grenade pick-up spots. You might be surprised at the kills you get!

General Combat Tips

1) As Techs always say: “Survival First!” Well—I’ve never heard one say that, but they should!

2) With your repair beam, you can tether onto a teammate or a structure by target-locking it (right-click). If you tether a teammate, you’ll go where he goes, healing him the whole way! (Don’t forget to jump with him—he won’t just carry you). If you tether a structure (Suppressor or Aegis), you can jump to dance around it like a maypole! You can also stay near the ceiling for long periods of time if the structure is up there.

3) Never leave your Suppressor at level 1. When you can, press Q near your Suppressor to increase its power! Its maximum level is 3 (You’ll see Roman numerals for levels 1, 2, and 3 during the game, which are I, II, and III). Don’t let it get destroyed: your new Suppressor starts at level 1 again :(

4) If you die but your Suppressor wasn’t destroyed, your cooldown for building a Suppressor is reset! Hurry to your Suppressor and make it stronger before someone breaks it!

5) You can only have 1 Suppressor at any time, but you can move it by simply facing a new spot and pressing Q. Your old Suppressor won’t gain a new level, but it will keep the level it had before you moved it!

6) Keep your heal beam on the Suppressor while it fights for you! It does good damage and can slow enemies when you level it up. You might get a few kills AND you can heal yourself, your Suppressor, and a teammate all at the same time!

The Shocker got his name from some obsession with electricity. He is the most obvious answer to a Tech. His Lightning Gun can hit 3 targets at a time and automatically repairs teammates and hurts enemies when it hits them. His ability to instantly repair shields for any teammates nearby (including himself) is also handy. If he chooses to, he can also set up defenses for any spot on the map with his deployable Aegis (a tower that builds a reflective bubble) and EMP Mines.

*At this time, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who fully supports the Shocker. People often agree its skills are good ideas but those skills should be stronger.

Skills:

Q – Aegis Device: Creates a structure that is surrounded by a force field bubble. The bubble shields all allies within it from damage. Most effective against ranged attacks. May be placed on most floors and ceilings, some walls. Upgrade it by getting close and reactivating Aegis Device skill. Each upgrade increases the bubble’s radius, allowing it to stretch through walls/ceilings. Activating this skill in a different location when an Aegis Device already exists will move the existing device (including its upgrades) to the new location. NOTE: Highly susceptible to melee attacks. Limit 1 Aegis Device per Shocker. Maximum 3 levels per Aegis Device. Deployment Time: 0.5 seconds. Aegis Device Time: Until destroyed. Cooldown (from activation time): 30.5 seconds.

E – EMP Mine: The Shocker tosses a mine to the targeted location. Upon impact, the mine “sticks” and will detonate when enemies approach. Mines can stick to floors, walls, ceilings. Limited to 3 mines per Shocker. Tossing additional mines will remove existing mines in the order they were tossed.Mine “Stick” Time: 60.0 seconds. Cooldown: 1.5 seconds.

Mobility

Overall, the Shocker is somewhat mobile, but cannot outrun a gun and cannot fix his shields quickly enough to act like a Tank. The Shocker should generally find one spot where he can support his allies the best and then stay there.

Additionally, the Shocker’s jumping and jetpack are weak. The Utility-chassis has the most difficult time going upwards.

Approaching

1) You should not approach any enemy, ever. The Shocker isn’t made for combat, he is a support unit to keep the combatants alive.

2) If you are defending one spot (and you probably will) your Lightning Gun will automatically repair teammates’ shields and hurt enemies—up to 3 targets at a time! The actual repair and damage are both small, but believe it or not they can make a HUGE difference in small-scale combat.

3) Feel free to place EMP Mines near health or grenade pick-up spots. You might be surprised at the kills you get!

General Combat Tips

1) The Aegis tower creates a bubble which protects you and your teammates from bullet damage when you stand inside. It is very fragile against melee attacks, so you should place the Aegis someplace hard to reach.

2) The Aegis can be upgraded by trying to place an Aegis near an Aegis you’ve already created (press ‘Q’). It can be upgraded to level 3 this way (levels are in Roman numerals, so 1, 2 and 3 look like I, II, and III).

3) You can only have one Aegis at a time. However, the Aegis can be moved to a new location by simply trying to place an Aegis in a new location. Your old one will move to that spot and keep whatever level it had before you moved it! (You cannot make a stronger Aegis by changing its location, however).

4) If you die but your Aegis wasn’t destroyed, your cooldown for building an Aegis is reset! Hurry to your Suppressor and make it stronger before someone breaks it!

5) The bubble effect of the Aegis can pass through walls! The large size of a level 3 Aegis is especially useful for this: place it on one side of a small wall or beneath a thin floor. Your teammates on the other side will have protection from mid-to-long ranged combat, while you guard the fragile Aegis tower from the other side of the wall!

6) You might be able to kill enemies by getting close to them and using the Orb Caster for multiple hits. Sneak up behind your target and get close for maximum effect!

Like i always say before, the shocker is pretty fun to play with, but i think the shocker’s lightning gun needs a slight buff. I also think that people shouldn’t be able to walk into the aegis and be able to kill people inside it. If the aegis is a shield nothing should be able to penetrate it from the inside, people should be only able to kill the aegis from the outside. The tech is balanced and needs nothing changed but i always like the tech’s kick before the health was added :p

Aegis is long range shield(vs snipers and blazers and some other attacks) just dont hide inside it, not to mention it spreads lightning gun.
And as long as you got bombs ready near you,you should use either your machine or yourself as bait. Believe me those bombs almost one shoot some classes and splash dmg around.

beeep beeep beeep.
i propose a new tactic for tech:
Tech AND their towers are weak no kind of fighters.
Tech AND their tower have no life.
you may be surprised, but a tower needs only four hits from a scout saber to get destroyed :(
So here is how i fight in tech shuttlebay.
you put your tower on the roof, but not the roof outside, but inside.
then you suspend yourself from it with the healing gun (it acts like a rope its a bug ;) )
and because its a bug your turn around the tower at a speed not even a scout can reach, and the scout himself can strike only hit by hit ( because he has to jump hit, go down rejump hit, go down rejump hit) until the tower is destroyed.ALSO: do remember that the gun of the tech is pretty powerful if you aim and fire)and like he said his mines are hyper cheated and can do a 2000 to 4000 damage around depending on distance)
and as for the shocker, sorry but here it is:
aegis is too weak to be used in a fight, just place it to give snipers or whatever time to escape.
just use the orb stuff and make every ennemy lose its shield
i think aegis can be used with a gunner placed on sniping OR if you team up with a scout (who always welcomes a little shield because of his pitiful lifespan sacrificed for augmented speed and attack<;

A few of my own notes for shocker and tech:
Repair beam when locked on has a considerably shorter heal chain length, but its possible to keep up with a non turbo boosted scout if you budget your fuel correctly. Slingshotting is quite useful when surrounded by team mates, as it allows you to heal and speed around your allies while dodging. Orb caster can be used to clear out the cp and do some serious dps if you use it correctly. Time your “e” abilities properky, don’t just use them for the fun of it, the same goes for the hyper charge as well. Using tech and shocker together can make a fearsome pair (making a thread on this one soon;D )

General Combat tips: If there is more than 1 tech, the beams stack. If there are enough techs and suppressors, they are almost impossible to break apart. You could also add shocker the the party! Protect the techs from snipers.
Some things to beware of. If an assassin uses their bomb, and it goes on the suppressor, it goes rogue, attacking everyone, especially the tech healing it. If it hits a shocker, I think the lighting gun would attack everyone. This would be a perfect time for the other team to attack. Snipers snipe. Tanks smash. Blasters use Q to break apart the blockade. Blazers burn. The blockade could easily fall apart. Especially since the techs could abandon the CP and their suppressors since they would be getting killed by it. Keep up the assasin bombs, and they’ll eventually break apart.

General Combat tips: If there is more than 1 tech, the beams stack. If there are enough techs and suppressors, they are almost impossible to break apart. You could also add shocker the the party! Protect the techs from snipers.
Some things to beware of. If an assassin uses their bomb, and it goes on the suppressor, it goes rogue, attacking everyone, especially the tech healing it. If it hits a shocker, I think the lighting gun would attack everyone. This would be a perfect time for the other team to attack. Snipers snipe. Tanks smash. Blasters use Q to break apart the blockade. Blazers burn. The blockade could easily fall apart. Especially since the techs could abandon the CP and their suppressors since they would be getting killed by it. Keep up the assasin bombs, and they’ll eventually break apart.

Shocker tips:
Vs assassin, shocker has the upper hand. however, attempting to engage an assassin head on without an ally or aegis nearby is suicide, as the lightning gun will not heal shields and remove poison stacks unless it hits an allied unit. if you’re being attacked by an assassin, drop your aegis shield, and switch to lightning gun. likely use your melee to hold it over till the aegis is placed, then just target the aegis with the lightning gun, if the assassin keeps trying to attack you he will likely die.

The orb caster is a surprisingly potent weapon, though most people do not use it to its full efficiency. If someone is backing away from you as you attack them with orb caster, the damage will spike dramatically, so keep an eye out for such a situation to exploit!

Also, due to the nature of the orbs, you can fire one, hop, skip, and run after it, and continue firing them in that path. the stacked orbs will deal MASSIVE damage to anything in their path, often killing anything below blaster or tank, and sometimes even those! This is useful in shuttle bay, if done properly, a single pass through with shocker can clear out all the enemies in the shuttle.

Your aegis is perhaps more useful for fleeing than it is for defending a point. You can drop it down as you’re running for health, and all of a sudden your opponent is going to get a rough time getting a line of sight to you.

You said never to approach enemies, ever? Phrag, you forgot about ambushes?

Just deploy your mines on some derp sniper, and they will eliminate it.
Lightning gun and aegis combo is an anti assassin tool
Shield repair is nice for last minute potential heals
Orb caster stacks into the CP or any enemy are extremely lethal.

Basically, shocker is great for ambushes and area attacks (and obviously support), but pathetic in 1v1 and head on attacks.

A decent strategy when playing as a Tech or Shocker is to follow another teammate (preferably one with a heavy chassis) and act as a mobile healing unit for that player’s health/shields. An experienced Tank with a Tech and a Shocker at his side can be a force to be reckoned with.

Shuttle Bay
Orb Caster is highly recommended for charging the Capture Point if you are losing. The most effective firing areas are through the side entrances, as the Orbs will pass through the entire structure. Never leap directly into the fray, as most of your weapons (Orb Caster, EMP Mine) are meant to be tactically offensive and intentionally ‘slow’. Always attack from the entrances and leap away when you can! Place your Aegis whenever you are charging, it helps from bullet fire although it will get demolished pretty quickly. If you are chasing enemies, do not try to run for them, as a) you are too slow to chase all but a Tank or a Blaster, and b) your weapons are either short ranged or too easily dodged. Try to make a decent set up and always predict where your enemy is going to run into, I mean, run to… hehe

Training Arena

Best camping spots are usually the middle, do not plant Aegis directly otherwise you will be vulnerable to enemy fire!
Yes, the Utility Chassis have to sacrifice mobility even in offensive gameplay, but the best way to get into battle is to bring the battle to your enemies! Since there is a spawn as well as position and health packs in there, many enemies will be raging there. All enemies are charging for the health, so always plan your fire carefully over there, and try EMP Mine those areas. This is the one area Lightning Gun becomes useful, keep a constant charge if the enemies keep coming to attack mobs as well as heal your team mates. Your foremost plan is to overwhelm your enemies. Always try to kill those who have low hit points, although most are damaged some way.

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